Pare Chu region, Thongsal. On August 9, after a flight from Delhi to Leh several days earlier,

Irena Artuñedo and I made a six-hour jeep ride to Korzok (4,500m) and began a three-day trek south to advanced base at 4,735m. [Editor’s note: Tsuneo Suzuki described this area well in AAJ 2006. The Spanish advance base lies a little way up the first main valley flowing north into the Pare Chu immediately west of 6,643m Umdung Kangri]. On the 14th we climbed west out of the valley with Lhakpa Sherpa and Darja Bahadur Tamang, making Camp 1 at 5,250m before returning to the valley to sleep. Next day, we returned to Camp 1 and spent the night there. On the 16th we climbed loose, broken terrain to a col at 5,592m, which gave access to the glacier north of unclimbed Peak 6,367m. There were a few short steps of UIAA II+ at 5,500m. After crossing the col we descended a short distance on the far side and established Camp 2 at 5,550m.

Leaving at 5:45 a.m. on the 17th, Irena, Lhakpa Sherpa, and I climbed southwest up glacier slopes, which steepened to 45°. Near the top we negotiated a 15m, 65° serac barrier. Finally we reached a broad col above 5,900m, on the spur running east from Peak 6,367m. We turned left and walked up to our summit (snow on the north flank and scree on the south), where at 10:20 a.m. we recorded an altitude of 6,01lm and coordinates of N 78°15'085", E 32°33'196" (GPS). The final 450m from Camp 2 rated AD. We have proposed the name Thongsal for this previously virgin summit, Thongsal being a Tibetan word for a point with splendid views. A GPS track from base camp to summit can be viewed at http://en.wikiloc.com/ wikiloc/view.do?id= 194258.

David Oliveras, Spain